By Lalwani Poonam
Unbeknownst to many, Singapore is considered a major centre of illegal wildlife trade despite having countless stringent laws (Source: TODAY). In 2009, it was named as one of the top ten illegal wildlife trading hubs in a report by TRAFFIC, a global non-governmental organisation monitoring the trade in wild plants and animals (Source: Acres).
Founder of the American conservation movement, William T. Hornaday provided an exciting account of how he and his men caught salt water crocodiles at Sungei Bulu using hook and line to fashion an “alir”. (Source: Two Years in the Jungle: The Experiences of a Hunter and Naturalist in India, Ceylon, The Malay Peninsula and Borneo)
Illegal wildlife trade, one of the world’s largest and most profitable crimes, is ranked as the fourth-largest criminal activity (Source: World Wildlife Fund). This multimillion-dollar industry is made of complex illicit trafficking networks that facilitate the killing, transport, and sale of prized species. No country is untouched by these crimes. In 1973, many governments united to form CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) to ensure that international trade in wildlife does not endanger their survival. Singapore joined the initiative by signing the CITES treaty in November 1986 (Source: The Nature Society, Endangered Species, and Conservation in Singapore).
Wildlife trade had existed on the island for a long time, even before our independence. It was already prevalent under colonial rule, with Singapore’s strategic position as a key trading port making it a prime target for traffickers. One of the earliest materials on the subject in our collections is the Political and Statistical Account of the British Settlements in the Straits of Malacca, Viz. Pinang, Malacca, and Singapore: With a History of the Malayan States on the Peninsula of Malacca, published in 1839. Authored by an English traveller Thomas John Newbold, the two volumes provide readers with an in-depth account of the Straits Settlements covering geographical location, historical developments, and political and social environment.
Newbold reported that hunting in the region generally involved targeting larger animals such as tigers, buffalos, elephants and rhinoceros. He also observed that Malays were skilled at snaring birds and wild animals. Bird snares involved fine nooses, bird-lime and decoys, while larger animals were often caught by nooses and pitfalls. This observation was also echoed by Isabella Bird during her travels of Southeast Asia in The Golden Chersonese and the Way Thither, where she mentioned bird sellers waiting at the docks to sell their birds to passengers disembarking from steamers.
By the late 19th century, local pet keeping habits were well established, with pet shops also supporting the wildlife trade. In Bring ‘Em Back Alive, author Frank Buck detailed his interactions with Chop Joo Soon Hin, a bird shop located in North Bridge Road. He referred to the trader as an “old friend” who openly shared information about auctions of exotic wildlife with him. Thus, it came as no surprise when he consequently learnt that Europeans and Americans began acquiring wild animals, which were eventually sold off to zoos, museums and even circuses.
A live elephant being loaded onto a ship for transportation. A heavy canvas sling was fastened around its belly and ropes passed around its neck and under the tail to secure it thoroughly. (Source: Bring ‘Em Back Alive)
This period saw an increase in animal welfare issues, which led Governor Cecil Clementi to oversee the formation of the Wild Animals and Wild Birds Committee. Chaired by Theodore R. Hubback, a renowned conservationist, the five-man committee was asked to conduct an inquiry on the retail trade in wild animals and birds in Singapore. The committee submitted a report with recommendations ensuring their humane treatment. This 1933 report, amongst other things, is now on display till mid-January 2025 at our rare book exhibition titled The Malayan Tragedy: Illegal Wildlife Trade.
Keen to discover more on the subject? Head down to Central Library Level 5 (outside the Singapore Malaysia Collection). Featuring nine books and a postcard from our archives, the exhibition aims to examine how the wildlife trade was entrenched in the region, how the Europeans fuelled it and the efforts put into place to protect wildlife.
Snapshot of the materials on display till mid-January 2025
Curated List:
Acres. “The Situation in Singapore,” Accessed May 11, 2024. https://acres.org.sg/wildlife-crime/the-illegal-wildlife-trade-singaporeasia/the-situation-in-singapore/.
Andaya, B. W. Perak, the Abode of Grace: A Study of an Eighteenth-Century Malay State. Kuala Lumpur; New York: Oxford University Press, 1979.
Bird, I. L. The Golden Chersonese and the Way Thither. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1883.
Buck, F., and E. Anthony. Bring ‘Em Back Alive. Sydney: Angus & Robertson Limited, 1933.
Dammerman, K. W. The Agricultural Zoology of the Malay Archipelago: the Animals Injurious and Beneficial to Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry in the Malay Peninsula, the Dutch East Indies and the Philippines. Amsterdam: J. H. De Bussy Ltd, 1929.
Feeney, G. “Report on ‘jaw dropping’ levels of wildlife trafficking in SE Asia urges S’pore to enact harsher penalties.” TODAY, February 20, 2020. https://libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/login?url=https://advance.lexis.com/api/permalink/f151b346-310c-4213-bf99-f1ceef69ddd3/?context=1516831&identityprofileid=RHB5HS58401.
Hornaday, W. T. Two Years in the Jungle: the Experiences of a Hunter and Naturalist in India, Ceylon, The Malay Peninsula and Borneo. 5th ed. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1896.
Hubback, T. R., Singapore. Wild Animals, and Wild Birds Committee. Report of the Wild Animals and Wild Birds Committee, Singapore, 1933. Singapore: Government Printing Office, 1934.
Hubback, T. R. Three Months in Pahang in Search of Big Game: a Reminiscence of Malaya. Singapore: Kelly and Walsh, 1912.
Issacson, A. “Illegal Wildlife Trade.” World Wildlife Fund. Accessed May 5, 2024. https://www.wwf.sg/nature-biodiversity/illegal-wildlife-trade/.
Malay States, Federated. Registrar-General Statistics, and Straits Settlements. Registrar-General of Statistics. Malaya: Foreign Imports, Exports and Shipping, 1931 – 1936. Singapore, 1932 – 1937.
Oran Utan. National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Newbold, T. J. Political and Statistical Account of the British Settlements in the Straits of Malacca, Viz. Pinang, Malacca, and Singapore: with a History of the Malayan States on the Peninsula of Malacca. London: J. Murray, 1839.
Tate, D. J. M. Straits Affairs: the Malay World and Singapore : Being Glimpses of the Straits Settlements and the Malay Peninsula in the Nineteenth Century as Seen through the Illustrated London News and Other Contemporary Sources. Hong Kong: John Nicholson Ltd, 1989.
Yi, G. H. “The Nature Society, Endangered Species, and Conservation in Singapore.” In Nature Contained : Environmental Histories of Singapore, edited by Timothy P. Barnard, 245–80. Singapore: NUS Press, 2013.
